CALIPSO in the A-Train

The Franco-American CALIPSO mission (Cloud Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) was selected by the NASA for the Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) program to supply a unique data set of atmosphere vertical profiles measured by a Lidar on-board a satellite.

The CALIPSO satellite, which uses a PROTEUS platform, has a payload composed of one backscattering Lidar, main instrument equiped of a 1 meter telescope, a visible camera, and an infrared imager provided by CNES.

CALIPSO fly in tandem with CLOUDSAT radar satellite, and both integrated the A-Train, constellation of satellites dedicated to the observation of clouds, aerosols and the water cycle.